Oppression and Darkness
by cyberelf
Summary: *DISCONTINUED* An alternate version of some of the events of Harry Potter set in a world in which the Dark Ages never ended. Alternate Universe. The year is 1970. Rated M for violence and blood.
1. Chapter 1

_The Dark Ages._

_It is the most dismal time in European history. It is speculated that if the Dark Ages never came about, Western civilization, both Muggle and magical, would be more advanced than it is today._

_But this speculation also raises the question: What would the world be like if the Dark Ages never ended?_

_The year is 1970 A.D. Welcome to a world drastically different than the one in which you are living comfortably. It is a world locked in the prison of a never ending Dark Age. Witch hysteria has gripped the people of medieval Europe, and innocent Muggles and wizards burn at the stake by the thousands each day. It is a world in which the wizarding population struggles to survive amidst the paranoia and tyranny of the Muggles in power._

_This story chronicles the actions and lives of a small handful of witches and wizards who strive to escape the oppression of the paranoid and corrupt leaders and change the dark times in which they live._

Oppression and Darkness

**Part I: Witch Hunt**

**Chapter I**

"NOOOOOOOO!"

Tom Riddle jumped and looked in the direction of the scream. He watched as two heavily armed men in armor dragged a young peasant woman from her home. One of the men clutched a wand in one of his hands. The woman screamed, struggled against their grip, and tried to grab her wand, but her futile efforts to resist only made the men handle her more roughly.

He gasped in horror when he caught a glimpse of the girl's features. She was fair-skinned, blue-eyed, and had the blonde hair of a German. She had a long, thin face, and her body was thin and frail. He knew this woman well, and attempted to run over and help her. He was held in check by his wife: a dark-haired woman with heavy-lidded eyes. She looked hard into his eyes and shook her head, telling him to leave the girl alone.

The crowd that had gathered around the house parted as a man in monk's robes made his way to the captive woman. He held in his left hand a thick, leather-bound book, and in his right he held a rosary. The soldiers dragged the struggling woman into the street and turned her to face the monk. Tears began to run down her face, and she trembled in fear.

Behind the monk lurked another woman, clad in finer clothes and holding a small girl by the hand. The monk beckoned them to his side.

"Come child," the monk said, extending his right hand, "come closer."

The girl shook her head and clung to her mother's arm.

"Come now," the monk encouraged, "why are you afraid?" He paused. "Are you afraid of her?" he asked, gesturing to the captive. The girl nodded and buried her face in her mother's sleeve.

The monk took the girl by the hand and gently led her away from her mother. He planted the child directly in front of the peasant girl.

"Tell me why you fear her so much," the monk ordered.

The peasant stared at the girl, and the child remained silent. After a few moments of silence, the girl suddenly screamed and collapsed on the ground. She held her head and screamed in agony. Her back arched and brought her torso up off the ground. The captive woman watched the spectacle in horror, but the monk showed no signs of fear or surprise. After a few moments, he turned to the woman and yelled, "cease your torment of this innocent girl!"

"I do nothing to her!" the fair-haired woman barked. "I have done nothing to anyone!"

"She lies!" the girl's mother exclaimed. "Her ghost has left her body and seeks to cause pain upon my daughter!"

The audience gasped and took a step back. Riddle looked on in horror and grasped his wife's hand, which was still wrapped tightly around his arm.

"She's a witch!" the child's mother screamed, pointing at the captive peasant. "She is using her unholy powers to torment my child! She carries out the Devil's work!"

"NO!" the captive exclaimed. "I have done no such thing! My faith in God is unwavering! I am not in league with-"

"Hold your tongue, wicked servant of Satan!" the monk interjected. "Your lies will not sway me, witch, and so help me that I have the pleasure of sending you back into the fiery chasm of Hell!"

The girl rolled on her side, and screaming with renewed intensity, grasped the underside of her left forearm.

"My arm!" the girl wailed. "It burns! It BURNS!"

The monk glanced from the girl to the captive and back again. "The mark," he said quietly to himself. He approached the peasant and grabbed her left arm.

Riddle's eyes widened in panic. He tried to make for the monk, a look of wild rage in his eyes. His wife pulled him back to her side, and he growled at her.

"Unhand me, Bellatrix," he hissed.

"Master, please, no!" Bellatrix pleaded. "Don't expose yourself! You can't save Adelle now!"

The monk wrenched the Adelle's sleeve up past her elbow. The crowd gasped and backed away in terror. Upon her flesh was a red mark in the shape of a skull with a snake protruding from its mouth. The monk held up her arm in victory, and exclaimed, "behold! 'Tis the mark of the Devil! There can be no denying it now: she was selected to do Satan's work on Earth!"

He snatched the wand from the guard's hand and held it aloft as well. "Behold!" he cried, "her magic wand: the very tool with which she performs the Devil's Dark Arts! There can be no mistaking it now! SHE IS A WITCH!"

The crowd stirred, and many cried out, "she's a witch! She's a witch! BURN HER!"

"BURN HER!"

"BURN HER!"

A look of horror crossed Adelle's face. Her lower lip quivered, and her forehead wrinkled. "No, that's not true!" she yelled. "I'm not the Devil's minion!" She was drowned out by the screaming crowd, and she looked as if she were going to cry."

"Makes sense doesn't it?" the monk asked the crowd. "She is the daughter of a dead German nobleman, taken from her home and sold into slavery. Even though she's been freed, her life is nothing compared to what it was before." He turned to Adelle. "What the Devil had to offer you in exchange for your soul must have been quite appealing."

"No!" Adelle exclaimed. "I have made no pact-"

"Take her away!" the monk ordered the soldiers. "Lock her away while she awaits her judgment."

She screamed in protest as the soldiers dragged her away. "Please no!" she wailed. "Please Lord, help me!"

Riddle turned away from the scene, knowing that she was not referring to God but himself, her Lord and Master, to whom she swore lifelong loyalty. Bellatrix held his shoulders and gently guided him away.

His servant's desperate cries for help still echoed in his mind when he reached his home a few streets away. When they got inside, Bellatrix locked the door and window shutters. Riddle slammed his fist down on the small kitchen table and swore loudly.

"I lost_ another _servant to this insanity!" he growled. "First Lucius and now Adelle… those damn Muggles are going to PAY for this!"

"My Lord," Bellatrix squeaked, "calm yourself, please! What if someone hears?"

Riddle growled in anger.

"She is yet alive," said Bellatrix, "and the trials will not begin until sunrise tomorrow. There is still yet time to free her."

"At what cost?" he asked. "You know as well as I do that saving her will expose me and put my life in danger. My following is not yet strong enough to challenge the Muggles' rule." He looked into her face, and she looked away in nervousness. "But still," he continued, "Adelle is one of my most loyal servants, and she is one of the more advanced witches in my following. It would be a shame to lose such an ally…"

He went to the window and opened the shutter just enough to peer out at the cobblestone street. The townspeople resumed their normal daily activities, but there was still an eerie silence in the town. Riddle turned his gaze to the town square, where a long wooden pole was situated on top of a stone platform. He could picture the countless Muggles and wizards that had been burned there, including his own servant Lucius Malfoy. He tried not to picture his loyal Adelle, but the image of her tied to the pole, screaming as the flames engulfed her body, plagued his mind. He pictured Lucius, standing straight-backed and placid, trying to hide his pain as the fire licked his body. Riddle shut the shutter, unable to look at the stake any longer. He turned to Bellatrix, who was staring at him with a concerned look in her eyes.

As he looked upon his wife, he couldn't help but picture her tied to the stake, the mark on her arm displayed for all to see. He could picture her face, drenched in tears, riddled with a look of helplessness. He could see the prosecuting monk, reciting a prayer as men in black robes and hoods that covered their faces ignited the straw under her feet with their torches. He could hear her scream in anguish. She screamed his name and pleaded to him for help. But all he could do was stand there, unable to look away, and watch as his most loyal servant was slowly burned alive.

He had to stop this insanity.

_No!_ His conscience said to him. _You are not yet strong enough! Your following is just beginning to form, and your power still continues to grow. If you expose yourself now, all will be lost!_

He snarled silently to himself. He couldn't afford to stand idly by and watch his Death Eaters be burned alive one by one. If he didn't do something, his following would diminish before it even had the chance to grow. He needed a following if he was going to ascend to power. As much as he hated to admit it, he needed servants to help him carry out his work. He couldn't gain control of England alone.

He had no choice. He had to do something.

This time, he was going to show the Muggles the true might of a wizard.

_**Disclaimer**__: Harry Potter and all the characters, terms, spells, concepts, and whatnot belong to JK Rowling. I do not own them, and I don't claim to own them. This story was created for fan purposes only. I do own the OC's, the concept, and the events unique to my story, so no stealing!_


	2. Chapter 2

Oppression and Darkness

**Part I: Witch Hunt**

**Chapter II**

Adelle sat crouched in a fetal position, propped in a corner of her jail cell. Her head lay against her knees, and she rested in an uneasy sleep. Untreated wounds from a whip still bled on her face and back, and in her dreams, she could still hear the cries of "BURN HER".

A searing pain in her left arm interrupted her sleep. She awoke abruptly with a cry of pain, and she clutched her burning arm out of pure instinct. When she fully regained her senses, she realized that the burning pain was centered in the brand on her arm.

Her master was calling her.

She tried to stand up, but was brought back to the ground by the heavy chains that were wrapped around her thin frame. She slunk to the ground and buried her face in her hands. She was chained and locked up, without her wand and without anyone to help her. Tears slowly began to drip down her cheeks as she once again realized the danger of her situation.

-----

Barty Crouch slipped out of bed, taking care not to disturb his sleeping wife. Unable to fall asleep, he decided to walk around the house, hoping that movement would enable him to find rest.

He found a candle lamp on his bedside table and lit it with his wand as he strode out of the room. Even though the shutters were closed, he quickly hid his wand in the pocket of his robe.

Crouch loved magic, but was always deathly afraid of anyone finding out that he had the ability to use it. He and his family secretly practiced magic in their home, and took extreme precautions to keep anyone in the outside world from finding out about their magical nature. Everyone outside their family was under the assumption that they were ordinary Muggle noblemen.

They never used magic to do evil, and they didn't regard their Wizard abilities as unholy. Despite this, Barty Crouch knew very well that if anyone found out about them, he and his family would join the other convicted witches at the burning stake.

He passed his son's room and sighed quietly. His son, who bore his name, had often expressed his dislike for his father's secrecy. He believed that magic should be openly practiced, and he constantly fought with his father over the issue.

Crouch suddenly jumped at the sound of footsteps. He held the candle aloft and made ready to grab his wand.

"Who's there?" he called nervously. "Show yourself!"

No one responded. The footsteps grew fainter, and Crouch heard the hinges of the back door creak. With all haste, he headed for the door, hoping to catch the intruder. When he arrived at the door, a man in black robes slipped out into the night. Crouch, positive that the intruder was unaware of his presence, blew out his candle and hurried after him.

Crouch checked to be sure that no one was around before lighting his wand. In the dim light, he could barely see the intruder run into the woods bordering the town. Crouch shuddered. Everyone in the town, including him, feared the woods at night because it was there that Dark Witches were believed to cast their unholy spells.

However, some deep part of him drove him into the woods, and before he knew it, he was following the intruder into the dark trees.

Keeping a safe distance, Crouch pursued the stranger deep into the forest. He stopped abruptly when a small group of robed wizards, each holding lit wands, came into view. The stranger joined the group, and Crouch unlit his wand and crept closer to them. They were each robed in black, and kept their hoods up to hide their faces. They formed a circle and stood in silence, as if waiting for something to happen.

With a pop, another black-robed wizard appeared in the center of the circle. Crouch peered through the leaves of the bush he was hiding behind and tried to calm his trembling hands. He watched the group intently, fully expecting them to begin performing some horrific satanic ritual.

"My friends," the center wizard replied softly, "I trust you all know why I have summoned you here tonight. As you have undoubtedly heard, another one of our own has been convicted of witchcraft and will likely burn at the stake at this time tomorrow."

Some of the wizards hung their heads, and the center wizard let the silence linger for a few moments.

"We have witnessed this atrocity before," the center wizard continued, "and I know that you are all beginning to question your decision to join me. You are probably considering breaking your ties with me for your own protection. But tonight, I am going to prove to you all that there is no need to question your decision. You took a great risk by joining me, and your courage will not go without reward. From now on, I promise protection to all those who are loyal to me. No longer will those accursed Muggles burn our allies at the stake! No longer will I lose more of my Death Eaters to this witch paranoia! Starting tonight, you will no longer have to live in fear of enduring the witch trials and the stake!"

Crouch's eyes widened in fear. This wizard couldn't possibly be for real.

Crouch had to slap his hand over his mouth to stifle a gasp when the voice of his son emitted from one of the robed figures. "But master," his son said, "how will you protect us?"

"Excellent question, Barty," the center wizard answered, "and very soon, I won't have to tell you. My friends, at Adelle's trial tomorrow, we will rescue her, and I will show you my true might. There will be no doubt in any of your minds that I am fully capable of protecting you. You will soon come to realize that the power of a Dark Wizard is unmatched!"

His words were feverish, and he thrashed his arms as he spoke. Crouch peered through the bush, and in the dim light of the wands, got a good look at the center wizard's face. Burning his visage into his memory, Crouch decided that he had heard enough of the meeting, and crept out of the bushes. When he was a good distance away from the group, he broke off into a run back to his house.

-----

Barty Crouch waited for almost two hours. He stood by the back door of his house with his wand at the ready. All the while, he cursed his son for betraying his trust and joining a Dark Wizard. He was practicing magic outside of his home, and in the process he was putting himself and his family in grave danger.

Crouch had to do something quickly.

His heart skipped a beat when he spied his son running back from the dark woods. He backed away from the door and stood in front of it with his wand at the ready.

When his son opened the door, he was immediately met with the tip of a wand.

Before he could cry out in surprise, his father hissed, "Imperio!"


End file.
